Jonathan unable to resolve PDP crisis in a meeting with governors

President Goodluck Jonathan Thursday met with governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in an effort to resolve the lingering crisis rocking the party but failed to reach any agreement on the way forward.

The meeting held at House 7, inside the presidential villa which lasted for three hours was attended by Vice President, Namadi Sambo,  Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Ramallah Yero (Kaduna), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Theodore Orji (Abia), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta). While Bayelsa, Cross River, Enugu and Kogi states were also represented by their deputies.

However, THE CITIZEN was reliably informed that following the inability of the attendees  to reach common ground, the governors resolved to continue the discussion and immediately headed to an undisclosed location within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to continue their meeting while President Jonathan returned to his office to attend to other state matters.

It was learnt that two critical issues were up for discussion including the stalemated election of the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the ruling party as well as the deepening crisis in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP arising from the dissolution of the executive committee of the Adamawa State chapter of the party as well the status of its recently conducted congresses.

The national leadership of the PDP had set up a caretaker committee which in turn, conducted ward and local government congresses, causing friction between it and the Governor, Murtala Nyako.

Members of the PDP NWC led by the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, had met without the knowledge of the National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, to rescind the dissolution of the Adamawa executives and also disassociated themselves from the congresses conducted by the caretaker party executives in the state.

 
Before the meeting with the President, the governors had Wednesday night meet and  endorsed the  decision of a section of the PDP NWC to  rescind the dissolution of the  Adamawa State executives loyal to Governor Nyako, against the wish of  Dr.Tukur, himself, an indigene of Adamawa State who described their action as a betrayal of trust.

Besides, the governors also endorsed the NWC’s disassociation from the purported ward, Local government and state congresses in Adamawa and declaring it null and void and of no effect.

Foelding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, applauded the decision by President Jonathan to invite the governors for the meeting to look into issues as leaders of the country adding that the crisis in the PDP was not beyond the normal.

According to him, “You know the PDP is a very large party. The party may have it’s own internal challenges. Of course, we have our own modus operandi, ways of resolving all these issues. Various committee have been set up from the Board of Trustees from the National Working Committee. I believe that at the end of the day, in the next one week, all those issues will be a thing of the past.”

On whether the PDP governors were happy with the National Chairman following his handling of the Adamawa affair, Akpabio, remarked that there was nothing like the governors not being happy with the party boss.

“Nothing like the PDP governors not being happy. We identify with the party, we have confidence in the party and all the internal wrangling you are hearing, those things are normal in any democracy.

“There are challenges as a result that the PDP is a very large party, the largest in the whole of Africa. All these internal issues will soon be resolved.

“Mr. President who is the leader of the party has taken the right step, he has set up the right committees and you are aware that even in the state of Adamawa, we have the Governor Sule Lamido Committee that will soon bring a report which will bring the Adamawa crisis to an end.

“The governors are happy with the party and we are sure that under the leadership of President of Goodluck Jonathan, all the issues pertaining to the party will be resolved amicably and the party will come out stronger,”  he stated.

Akpabio also remarked that the meeting with President Jonathan was a normal occurrence as it provided the opportunity to compared notes.

“We must look at all areas of governance and look at areas that require improvement. Is a kind of peer review mechanism, where the PDP states comes together to look not just at governance at the state level but also of the party itself at the national level.

“So, that we look at things that can strengthen the party and also look at what Nigerians want, while we are delivering dividends of democracy which other areas Nigerians are clamoring for improvement. And I think this is good for the governance of the country. We must commend Mr. President for this initiative.

“Meeting the President and the Vice President will augur well for the governance of this country. We will deliver more dividends to our people. Nigerians love the PDP and of course we want to give Nigerians the best. I can assure you that from the discussion we had, PDP will remain the party to beat because Nigerians are looking for good governance,” he declared